Elizabeth Crocker Bowers (March 12, 1830 – November 6, 1895) was an American

stage actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

and theatrical manager. She was also known professionally as Mrs. D. P. Bowers.

Early life

Elizabeth Crocker Bowers was born March 12, 1830 in Stamford,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, the daughter of an Episcopal

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and sister of actress Sarah Crocker Conway (also known as Mrs. F. B. Conway).

Career and marriages

In 1846, she appeared in the character of Amanthis at the Park Theatre in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, New York. On March 4, 1847, she married actor David P. Bowers, and moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. She appeared as Donna Victoria in '' A Bold Stroke for a Husband'' at the

Walnut Street Theatre The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by the Walnu ...

in Philadelphia. She became very popular at the

Arch Street Theatre The Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 19th century, was one of the three main Philadelphia theaters for plays; the other two were the Walnut Street Theatre and the Chestnut Street Theatre. The Arch Street Theatre opene ...

, and made Philadelphia her home until her husband's death in 1857. In December 1857, after a period of retirement from the stage, she leased the Walnut Street Theatre and retained its management until 1859. She then leased the

Philadelphia Academy of Music The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at 240 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its location is between Locust and Manning Streets in the Avenue of the Arts area of ...

for a short dramatic season. She married Dr. Brown of

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in 1861. and traveled to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. She made a great success as "Julia" in '' The Hunchback'' at the Sadler's Wells Theatre and "Geraldine D'Arcy" in ''

Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

'' at the Lyceum Theatre in London. Returning to New York City in 1863, she played for a time at the

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(now demolished). Among her favorite roles were Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Marie Antoinette, and

Lady Audley The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

. After the death of Dr. Brown in 1867, she toured extensively with James "J.C." McCollum whom she later married. With J. C. McCollom, she repeated many of her popular roles. Mrs. Bowers first toured the West in 1868 playing for over two months in Thomas Maguire's San Francisco theaters, then spending 20 days in

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, Nv at

Piper's Opera House Piper's Opera House is a historic performing arts venue in Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada in the United States. Piper's served as a training facility in 1897 for heavyweight boxing champion Gentleman Jim Corbett, in preparation for his tit ...

. Returning in 1875, Mrs. Bowers followed Katherine Rogers at the California Theatre with the first presentation in America of ''Rose Michel''; Bowers “more triumphant” every time she “comes to California.” She was the last legitimate player at the California Theatre before its demise in 1888.Eichin, ''From San Francisco Eastward'', 169. Her subsequent retirement in Philadelphia was interrupted by a return to the stage in October 1886 for several years. She organized a new dramatic company, and visited the principal cities of the U.S., playing many of her old and favorite characters. Under A. M. Palmer's management she appeared in ''

Lady Windermere's Fan ''Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman'' is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband is ...

'' (1893), and later she was a supporting actress for

Rose Coghlan Rosamond Marie Coghlan (March 18, 1851 – April 2, 1932) was an English actress. Coghlan was born in Peterborough, England, to author Francis Coghlan, and Anna Marie, ''née'' Kirby. Her elder brother (or half-brother) was the actor Charle ...

and Olga Nethersole. Bowers died of pneumonia and heart failure on November 6, 1895 in at the home of her son-in-law, Frank Bennett, in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

She was survived by a daughter, Mrs. F. V.(May) Bennett and two sons, Harry C. Bowers of Portland, OR and Walter Bowers of New York City. She was buried at

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stre ...

in Washington, D.C.

References

External links

Elizabeth Crocker Bowers; ''North American Theatre Online''
AlexanderStreet)
portrait with sister Sarah Crocker Conway
AlexanderStreet) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowers, Elizabeth Crocker 1830 births 1895 deaths 19th-century American actresses Actresses from Stamford, Connecticut Actresses from Philadelphia American stage actresses Deaths from pneumonia in Pennsylvania Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery